L’Homme Absolu by Prada

The Prada L’Homme line has a host of varieties available, working around the same basic theme. Each cologne has its own slightly different take to capture another side, of the iris based aroma. L’Homme Absolu, was released as a limited edition perfume for him, back in 2018. How does this one stack up? What does it smell like? How long does Absolu last? Is it worth a try? The following is my review after testing this Prada cologne out.

What does L’Homme Absolu Smell Like?

Notes include: iris, black pepper, cedar, bergamot, cardamom, mandarin orange, neroli, amber, labdanum, geranium

Click here to try: Prada L’Homme Absolu

My Full Review

The opening act of Absolu is a warmer and spicier affair, than the other editions in this series. I do get the ever-present iris note, but initially it gets overshadowed by black pepper and cardamom.

Those two ingredients are sitting in a coating of citrus. Mandarin and bergamot. The composition doesn’t feel juicy to my nose, but just a lighter zest, baked into a slightly burnt aroma.

What’s interesting, is that, after that initial wave of spice you do get a more citrus feeling thereafter. The floral notes emerge more, particularly neroli, and amp up the fruity quality. Add to that, an amber and resinous quality coming up from the base, and L’Homme Absolu becomes very enjoyable.

The further it moves along, the closer it starts to get to the other L’Homme colognes. In fact, the last bit is definitely a lot more of the iris note, than anything else.

Before that, I mostly get the iris, cardamom, neroli, bergamot, labdanum, amber, and some hint of cedar. That will all thin out until it is mostly just iris, along with some lingering neroli and amber.

Sillage, How Long Absolu Lasts, and Versatility

The sillage of Absolu is good, but it isn’t an absolute monster, in terms of its strength or ability to project. I’d say for the first hour or two, it is fairly strong, and moderate thereafter. I had no issues with the performance, it’s just not the strongest scent around.

The longevity seems to gravitate around 7 hours of wear. Sometimes, however, it will be closer to 5 hours. Though, the former is usually the standard.

Seasonally, this is actually great in the springtime. I sprayed some on before going on a long walk, in fairly temperate weather, and the scent really came alive. I kept catching lovely whiffs of the floral notes, amber, and cardamom.

Outside of that, I think that it would work well pretty much whenever outside of the hottest days of the year. Very good in colder to moderate climates.

L’Homme Absolu is also a very versatile fragrance. You can wear it pretty much anytime, in the right climate, without issue. It can be worn by younger or older men. Fits in at the office, casually, or during a night out. Has a formal appeal, without ever being uptight.

Overall Impressions of L’Homme Absolu

Do I like L’Homme Absolu? Yes, I do. I think that it’s a very attractive perfume and a great addition to the Prada line. Is it my favorite of the bunch? It’s one of the top picks, but I think that I still prefer L’Homme Intense.

The opening pepper and cardamom aroma, isn’t my favorite, but I do enjoy the floral and citrus notes more so. When they come in, along with the resinous amber, that’s when this stuff is really great.

The performance is solid, but not amazing. If you already have a bottle from the L’Homme line, you won’t really need this at all. It is somewhere between the other colognes, in terms of its smell, but still has a unique enough flair.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.